MEDIA STATEMENT BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL DEFENCE UNION (SANDU) IN REACTION TO THE 31 MARCH 2016 RULING BY THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT REGARDING VIOLATION OF THE SA CONSTITUTION BY PRESIDENT ZUMA AND PARLIAMENT

Friday, 1 April 2016, SANDU Head Office, Pretoria:

SANDU has taken note of the finding by the Constitutional Court inter alia judging President Zuma and the parliament of SA as being in violation of their constitutional duties in the Nkandla matter.

It is in SANDU’s opinion absolutely despicable that the President, as Commander in Chief of the SANDF, has transgressed the very Constitution which the Defence Force over which he holds command, is constitutionally charged with upholding. 

It is equally rejectionable that parliament, which is charged with overseeing that the SANDF upholds the Constitution, has aided and abetted the President in this unlawful deed which represents a complete sell out of the values of a constitutional democracy.

Given the ruling made, the President can no longer be considered a fit and proper person to remain the Commander in Chief of the SANDF, nor can any of the parliamentary members who so stubbornly protected him in his questionable endevours against the Public Protector’s findings, be considered fit and proper persons to hold office as members of parliament.

Any reliance on the excuse of so called bad legal advice is without any credibility especially as the same people who in the Nkandla matter accepted the bad advice that the PP findings are non- binding, in many other matters implemented the PP’s findings as if bounded thereby. These are also the same people, who, for 2 years were told publicly by various legal experts that their advice and stance was unlawful and wrong in law in the Nkandla matter and then went even further to back a embarresingly false and fraudulent report.

How can those with unconstitutional dirt on their hands be expected to further oversee and or command the SANDF with integrity or any inkling of moral standing?

SANDU, in the circumstances, calls on the Commander in Chief to be removed from his post and the parliamentary members to resign. SANDU supports any call for mass action and any other lawful means to remove President Zuma from office. This is not a political stance, but a moral and constitutional stance in support of our constitutional democratic values of the rule of law.

SANDU encourages all members of society, including soldiers to participate in their private capacity and time in any lawful mass action campaigns which might be called to the end of lawfully recalling and or removing President Zuma from office.

Statement issued by JG Greeff, SANDU national secretary, 1 April 2016